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Hi! I'm New. (And posting a log of my mod progress)
Greetings,
I've had a 2007 Kia Rio LX (not the Rio5) for a while now (since September 2007) and thought I'd finally step up and take the plunge. At first, I didn't want to do anything with the car until I learned more about it .. I've spent a while reading these forums as well as a lot of other sites and have finally come up with a few plans. Yeah, that's right, I gave in. What can ya do?
I'm still going through the boards (and yes, using the "search" function!) even as this post sits. Odds are, I may even answer my own questions so bare with me and I'll try to keep it updated for everyone's sanity.
BEHOLD THE UPDATES!
I've done extensive planning updates below. Thanks to everyone who's given me advice so far, keep it coming!
As always, see the areas that say "UPDATE" for the most recent updates. This update was posted 7/7/08.
Added Pics
UPDATE: Okay, a bit of indecisiveness has finally caught up to me. I'm probably keeping it Red for the most part, being that the paint scheme would be highly elaborate. Instead, I'll splash in some Yellow and black stripes for flare and a black ground-effects paint scheme along the bottom for spice. Below is still the pics until I update them. I'll be photoshopping the basic paint idea when I get a chance.
I took some pictures but couldn't upload them all as attachments, so here they are:
Hood Shot, not altered. - Thought it was a nice pic of the front. Hood Shot, Photoshopped - Basicly I colored it to look like the standard picture for the IXION Body Kit below, tried to match it pretty close.. That's the color I'm aiming for. Front - going to swap the grill out soon with the Otto grill replacement. Wheel - Gonna throw on the rims below. For now, use your imagination. :P Rio Butt - I gotta be honest, I can't wait to change the way this looks. It isn't agressive to me, it just looks like it sticks out abornmally. Never liked the back of the stock Rio. Also going to throw on black tail lights if I can find/make'em. Rear Driverside Quaterpanel - Going to be swapping the gas tank out with another, not sure which yet. Thinking about the Hyundai "GT" black/red logo. Also planning on swapping my "Kia" logos out with the GT Black/red logo. They have'em for Hyundai, just not sure if the Hyundai logo and the Kia logo are the same size -- I'm sure I can find one if they're not.
Big Stuff (with links)
Carbon Fiber Hood - Throwing this on after the body and paint work is done. More below about that.
Rims - I want these 17'' Rims on after I do the suspencion work. Which is after the body work. Going to go to 205 like a lot of others have; aiming for a 10lb or less weight wheel.
IXION Body Kit - This is subjective at the moment. There's some good looking German kits I've really taken a liking too. Its also my understanding that the front bumper and sideskirts are all that'll work with the Rio; the rear bumper is for the Rio5 exclusively. I'm hoping the rear body-kit that Kia can stick on to go with the twin-pop catback exhaust will help fill in the gaps. Otherwise, I'll have to get a different kit that may not go with it. As I said, this part is definitely subjective.
UPDATE:
I also found this good looking German Body Kit that is my Avatar. Its very nice, but I'm worried I won't find a rear bumper part, just like the IXION kit. So far the rear kits are for the Rio5 only, from the looks of the pictures.
Short Throw Shifter - UPDATE: I've updated this and made my FIRST part order. I went with the Hyundai Accent's B&M Short Shifter; I'm told that its more reliable, more stable, and even has the reverse lockout to boot! I love it, I just love it! I'll be installing it when it arrives. PS: I've also updated the link so its not the KFX Shifter.
Turbo - The very, very, very last item going into the car will be the Turbo. I have it on my list because I found one .. I won't be buying it for a long long time.
Struts - Struts are a must. I plan on doing this the same time I do the suspension, since it'll be an easy add from the looks of it.
Damper - Another one going up during the suspension phase.
Rotors - From what I've read, Hyundai breaks are the same as Kia breaks, as far as parts go. So, is it unreasonable to presume I can get some Hyundai performance, drill rotors and be alright?
Performance Plugs and Wires - Haven't found these yet, but I haven't looked extensively. Any recommendations? UPDATE: I've decided to go with the NGK V-Power Spark Plugs thanks to some advice here on the forums. Thanks Komptek! Apparently you can't swap out the wires, so I'll scratch that idea until either someone figures it or until Kia releases some kind of performance wire upgrade.
Little Stuff (without links)
[indent]Lights - UPDATE: This weekend I plan on painting my headlights black. I'll be following this tutorial, but I'll also be putting up my own for the 3Gen Rio complete with my steps. And any differences or difficulties I encountered.[indent]
Lip-Kit Alternative - In the event I can't find a Body Kit within my price range/for my not-Rio5-Style-Car, I'm willing to settle with a lip kit and dropping the ride-height for a more aggressive look, for aerodynamic performance. Again, no idea where I can find these -- I've found few body kits, and zero lip kits.
Decals - I'm new to the paint and decal scene. What's a good place to get some? As I put parts in my car, I'm gonna toss the decal on to show it off. You know, just like everyone else in the whole world? I imagine the places you buy the parts have decals, but what about custom decals? Know any good sites to make your own?
Tail Lights - I'll be painting these much like I'm painting the headlights. Obione1976 (dunno if I got the numbers right in your name, sorry if I didn't) has a great overlay/masking trick I'll try to replicate. Hope I don't screw it up!
Other Misc. Random Stuff - I can't think of 'em now, but I'm sure I'll find a lot more on these forums.
UPDATE:Gauge Pod/Cluster - UPDATE: Welp, my first attempt at taking my gauge pod was unsuccessful. The actual cluster dismantling wasn't hard at all, its replacing the on-board LEDs. I'll have to figure a different approach to Obione's suggestion on how to replace the LED backlight. 2nd Attempt should be this weekend, we'll see how it goes with time permitting.
Interior
Dash Kit Rebuild - I'll be updating the outskirts dash around my AC/Radio harness and gauge cluster to match the color scheme I'm aiming for. I'll also be doing extensive paint work on the middle-dash area including the hand-break.
Interior Lighting - Why buy expensive LED interior lights when you can cheapo it for the same effect? The color scheme on the inside is going to be "Red" to match the exterior. So, what I've done is I bought a few light housings for tractor trailers (the orange lights on the outside of the trailer?) and will be running wiring under the dash to a interior lighting master switch where my "change dish area" is. The Dish itself will be cut out and I'll be placing all my toggle switches there.
Sun/Moon Roof - The local sunroof place will do a basic moon roof for $250. I'm going to survey their work a bit before I take my car down there to see the quality. If it checks out, I'll be adding some sky to my roof. I'll also be re-routing the interior light to be back behind it rather than moving the moon roof back. Should be cool, I'll post pics of the process when I do it.
Continued on the next post..
Last edited by CRuDE : 07-15-2008 at 10:27 AM.
Reason: Added areas titled "Update"
Subwoofer - I like the Kicker 07DCVR122 12''. Its a nice sound without shattering someone's windows and waking the neighbors.
Amplifier - I'm torn on this one. I really like Alpine Amps, but I'm not sure which one I wanna go with. I think I'll probably end up with the Alpine PDX-5 5-CH. I mean, look at the thing. Its pretty decent all around and can definitely handle my sub and audio output without breaking a sweat.
Speakers - Again, I like Alpine products a lot, so I'll probably go with their SPR-17S.
I also found this catalog, seems like its primarily OEM though.
Edit: Attached is what I'd like to see in a car; its also my icon only without as much photoshopping.
Scope my plan, complete with one-stop updates,
links to popular Kia Rio 3Gen parts and resources,
as well as a make-shift FAQ for our favorite compact! Behold; My Dreams!
Last edited by CRuDE : 07-07-2008 at 01:32 PM.
Reason: Add on from OP.
Scope my plan, complete with one-stop updates,
links to popular Kia Rio 3Gen parts and resources,
as well as a make-shift FAQ for our favorite compact! Behold; My Dreams!
Scope my plan, complete with one-stop updates,
links to popular Kia Rio 3Gen parts and resources,
as well as a make-shift FAQ for our favorite compact! Behold; My Dreams!
Scope my plan, complete with one-stop updates,
links to popular Kia Rio 3Gen parts and resources,
as well as a make-shift FAQ for our favorite compact! Behold; My Dreams!
Scope my plan, complete with one-stop updates,
links to popular Kia Rio 3Gen parts and resources,
as well as a make-shift FAQ for our favorite compact! Behold; My Dreams!
Hi! I'm New. (And posting a log of my mod progress)
Linear Mode
